This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
The Great American Getaway 400
Location: Long Pond, Pa.
Course: Pocono Raceway
Format: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 160
NASCAR The Great American Getaway 400 Race Preview
Shane van Gisbergen jumped into the playoff picture with a long-awaited road course victory a week ago at Mexico City. The Trackhouse Racing driver dominated the running under changeable conditions, stretching his legs to a nearly 17-second victory to pick up his second NASCAR Cup Series victory and claiming a spot in the 2025 championship playoffs along the way. In order to advance through the knockout rounds, SVG and team will need to step up their game on ovals, though. Their next chance at doing so arrives this week in the form of Pocono Raceway's unique triangle layout and The Great American Getaway 400. Ryan Blaney captured the victory last season, taking the helm for the first time with less than 50 laps remaining as strategy and restarts began to dictate the day's winners and losers. While this is the only time the series will visit this track this season, it signals that just 10 races remain in the regular season. Time is running out for drivers to win their way into the championship battle and the pressure to do so will increase with every week that passes without that objective completed.
Key Stats at Pocono Raceway
- Number of races: 91
- Winners from pole: 16
- Winners from top-5 starters: 50
- Winners from top-10 starters: 64
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 7
- Fastest race: 145.384 mph
Previous 10 Pocono Winners
2024 - Ryan Blaney
2023 - Denny Hamlin
2022 - Chase Elliott
2021 II - Kyle Busch
2021 I - Alex Bowman
2020 II - Denny Hamlin
2020 I - Kevin Harvick
2019 fall - Denny Hamlin
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Kyle Busch
Pocono Raceway is a long circuit, shaped like a triangle, with three unique corners for drivers to navigate. Track position and mechanical grip are critical components for lap speed, but winning at the track also requires sound strategy. The track's unique turns are relatively flat and carrying as much speed as possible through them set up passing opportunities down the circuit's long straights. In addition to grip and power, fuel consumption will be on every crew chief's mind. The track's long 2.5-mile lap means cars can pit for fuel and tires and still not lose a lap, and pitting early to go off sequence can improve track position and allow drivers to gain time in clean air without traffic. Teams will also ask drivers to begin conserving fuel early to reduce the amount of time needed on pit road or the total number of times needed to stop. As the end of the race's 400 mile distance approaches, those strategies can play out with some drivers pushing the limits of fuel consumption while others work to chase them down running in max-power mode. At the end of the day, winners at Pocono require a powerful and well-handling machine with enough gas to get to the finish. Practice and qualifying results will help fantasy players hone in on potential contenders with the majority of track winners starting inside the top 10.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for The Great American Getaway 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $10,700
Kyle Larson - $10,500
William Byron - $10,400
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Tyler Reddick - $9,900
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,200
Ross Chastain - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chris Buescher - $8,800
Brad Keselowski - $8,600
Ty Gibbs - $8,400
Kyle Busch - $8,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Carson Hocevar - $7,700
Bubba Wallace - $7,500
Ryan Preece - $7,000
Erik Jones - $6,400
NASCAR DFS Picks for The Great American Getaway 400
William Byron - $10,400
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Brad Keselowski - $8,600
Bubba Wallace - $7,500
Ryan Preece - $7,000
Josh Berry - $6,900
The competitiveness William Byron (DK $10,400, FD $12,500) has had on display without a win in recent weeks suggests he is due. Byron has never won at Pocono, but he started in the front row there the past two years and finished fourth last season. He has three top-fives and six top-10s from 11 track starts and seems like his second win of the season could come any time now. Teammate Chase Elliott (DK $9,500, FD $11,000) has been quietly consistent this season. His eight 2025 top-10 finishes have him sitting fourth in points leading into this week's race despite not having a victory. At Pocono, Elliott's record looks pretty similar with one victory, four top-fives, and 10 top-10s from 15 starts. He hasn't finished outside of the top 10 at the track in the current generation of car, and scored the most number of any points at this track since the car was introduced, too.
Brad Keselowski's (DK $8,600, FD $10,000) struggles this season have been well documented. He faces a must-win situation in these next 10 races to get into the playoffs, but signs of his bad luck dissipating have been starting to show in recent weeks. He has two top-10 finishes since the All-Star Race and Pocono has been a productive track for him. Keselowski finished seventh in this race last season and won here back in 2011. With only two finishes outside of the top 15 at Pocono in the last 16 races, Keselowski could be an option worth taking Sunday. Bubba Wallace (DK $7,500, FD $8,500) also fits that mold. Wallace has been on quite a run of form with three finishes of 12th or better from the last three races. That upward trend moved him up the playoff standings and should continue at Pocono, too. He scored his first Pocono top-10 in 2021 and hasn't finished lower than 11th at the track since. Despite starting 29th in this race last season, he still finished 10th. Wallace should be a confident selection at this track.
One driver showing significant progress this season has been Ryan Preece (DK $7,000, FD $6,500). He quickly got up to speed at RFK Racing and sits just outside the playoff positions with a chance or earning his way in on points alone. Aside from a pole and one eighth-place finish, there isn't much good about him at Pocono. However, given teammates Keselowski's and Chris Buescher's success at the track, fantasy players could reasonably expect good output from Preece at this track this time. Another driver showing flashes of competitiveness is Josh Berry (DK $6,900, FD $7,200). He has a championship spot locked up already and continues to refine his package for the championship battle to come. Given several Team Penske wins at Pocono in the past, including Ryan Blaney's last season, Berry is another driver that fantasy owners could expect greater potential from at Pocono this season versus years past. He qualified fifth for last year's race, which suggests he has the ability to get the most out of hopefully better equipment this time.
NASCAR Best Bets for The Great American Getaway 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Denny Hamlin +450, William Byron +700
Top-Five Finish - Chase Elliott +210
Driver Matchup - Chase Elliott +110 vs Ryan Blaney -150
Winning Manufacturer - Toyota +150
Denny Hamlin's success at Pocono is impressive. He is a seven-time winner with 65% of his starts resulting in top-10 finishes. Statistics like that make him an obvious favorite, and this week's odds are pretty favorable compared to what we've typically seen for favorites in previous weeks. The only drawback that wagerers will have to get comfortable with is that Hamlin sat out last week's race at Mexico for the birth of his latest child. While one week off isn't the end of the world, it is still a significant life change and returning to action so quickly is not the easiest task. Those thinking that could be a factor this week may want to consider William Byron instead. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is at the top of his game and knocking on the door of a win in recent weeks. Byron also boasts his majority of Pocono starts resulting in top-10 finishes, but he has never won at the track. His odds offer a nice reward if he is able to get the job done, though.
No driver has scored more points at Pocono in the current generation of car than Chase Elliott. While Elliott has been slightly behind the front runners this season, his consistency inside the top 10 has been remarkable. He is comfortably in the championship picture by virtue of points alone, and continuing to land consistent top-10s will give him a chance to win sooner rather than later. Elliott finished third a week ago at Mexico and has four total top-five finishes this season. His recent Pocono record combined with his current form make the option of him as a top-five finisher this week pretty attractive. For the same reasons, fans may want to look at his matchup option against Ryan Blaney. The Team Penske driver is favored by virtue of his victory in this race last season, but that win came after his two prior Pocono finishes outside of the top 30. Elliott appears to be the better option this week.
The last wager to consider this week is winning manufacturer. Surprisingly, Toyota isn't favored despite having Denny Hamlin in its arsenal. The truth is, wins at Pocono have been pretty evenly distributed between the manufacturers. No manufacturer has won back-to-back at the track since Toyota took five in a row between 2017 and 2020. That takes Ford out of the picture this year and leaves Chevrolet and Toyota to duke it out on Sunday. Given the Joe Gibbs Racing history at this track, Toyota makes a compelling choice for victory.
Mapping out your wagers for the NASCAR Cup Series race? Check out the latest Sportsbook Promo Codes to get special offers and make the most of your bets.
